Château de Chillon
There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales…
Castles: they are a study in contrasts.
There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales, with damsels and dragons and chivalrous knights… But, once inside, it is easier to imagine the cold drafts, the lack of light, and the drudgery of those who work at providing some modicum of creature comfort to others who take it for granted.
Chillon Castle, a magical-looking Château in the district of Veytaux near Montreux, has been described as “an architectural jewel”. Reputedly “the most visited historic building in Switzerland”, it perches on a small island of rock on the banks of Lake Geneva, where it affords wonderful views over the surrounding waters.
The Chillon site began as a Roman outpost. For about four hundred years, from the 12th to the 16th centuries, the castle was summer home to the Counts of Savoy, who controlled passage by land or water from Burgundy to the St. Bernhard Pass through the Swiss Alps. As well as keeping a fleet of boats on Lake Geneva, and entertaining guests, the Savoys also kept prisoners in the dungeons during the Wars of Religion (Protestant Reformation) in the mid-1500s. The ordeal of the castle’s most famous prisoner, François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician, imprisoned from 1530-1536, was immortalised by English poet Lord Byron in his long narrative poem: The Prisoner of Chillon: A Fable, mostly written during a rainy visit in 1816:
… My limbs are bow’d, though not with toil,
But rusted with a vile repose,
For they have been a dungeon’s spoil,
And mine has been the fate of those
To whom the goodly earth and air
Are bann’d, and barr’d—forbidden fare; …
Hardly the stuff of fairy tales!
Fortunately, we visited during glorious sunshine – and were free to leave at will.
Jewel in Lake Geneva
As the train followed the lakeshore to Montreux in Canton Vaud, we could see the Château on the waters.
Boat on Lake Geneva
Perhaps best known for it’s annual Jazz Festival, Montreux provides access to tour boats on the beautiful Lake Geneva.
Sculpture on the Foreshore
We had to wait for a bus to take us to the nearby castle, and took the time to wander along the Lake Geneva waterfront.
Château de Chillon
It’s a short bus ride (or a rather long walk) from Montreux to Veytaux.
“Picture a Castle”
Château de Chillon sits on a rocky island; the waters of Lake Geneva act like a natural moat.
Entrance
The ticket/entrance to the Château is across a small covered bridge.
Courtyard, Château de Chillon
The Savoys
The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was founded in 1003 in the Savoy region in the Rhône-Alpes. One of the oldest royal families in the world, they held Château de Chillon until it was conquered by Bern in 1536.
Into the Cellar
The Clos de Chillon grows Chasselas grapes by the castle walls and produces award-winning Grand Cru wines.
Into the Cellar
Since 2011, the Chasselas white wine and the Gamaret-Garanoir red wine blend have been aged in barrels in Chillon Castle.
In the Dungeons
The dungeon ceilings arch high over head…
Noose in the Rafters
… where a noose is tied.
View through the Grate
As gloomy as the dungeon itself is, it has a wonderful view.
Neck Iron
Prisoners of the Duc de Savoy were chained to individual pillars in the dungeon and couldn’t move far.
“Byron”
When Lord Byron visited Chillon in 1816, he was so moved by the story of François de Bonivard that he carved his name into a pillar near where the Genevois monk had been chained.
Fountain
It is a relief to get back out into daylight of the castle courtyard after the depressing dungeons!
Looking In
Looking Out
Door Lock
Inside the castle, the doors are heavy, …
Kitchen Pots
… as are the iron kitchen pots.
Sailboats on Lake Geneva
Windows look out over the water…
Watching the View
… but some visitors prefer to gaze at each other.
“Johan was Here”
Like a visual guest book, the crests and titles of visiting dignitaries are painted high around the walls of one room.
Kids in the Catacombs
Low light in another below-ground space turns three youngsters into a surreal oil-painting.
Medieval Warriors
In another dark space, shadows of warriors past haunt us.
Flowers in the Courtyard
Again, it is good to find light and air and sunshine outdoors …
Château de Chillon
… and to admire the castle from the walkway outside its thick, dark walls.
Castle Flowers
For it may look like a fairytale, but Chillon hides some dark history.
… We were all inmates of one place,
And I, the monarch of each race,
Had power to kill—yet, strange to tell!
In quiet we had learn’d to dwell;
My very chains and I grew friends,
So much a long communion tends
To make us what we are:—even I
Regain’d my freedom with a sigh.
– Lord Byron (George Gordon), The Prisoner of Chillon
François Bonivard was finally freed in 1536 when the Bernese conquered the Pays de Vaud and took Chillon back from the Savoys. The Bernese continued to use it as a fortress, arsenal and prison for another 260 years.
It was a fascinating place to visit, but I am mightily glad not to be imprisoned there!
I would not weather the years as well as Byron’s fabled prisoner.
Till next time ~
Good memories of the visit to the castle & of last years travels
[…] Of course, when we arrived, it rained, rained, and rained some more. We mostly travelled down the hill, rather than up, to try to escape the wet mountain weather (see: Castles, Cheese and Chocolate; The Salt Mines; Lake Geneva’s Medieval Fortress). […]
Nice tour, Ursula!
Thanks, Patrick. Lovely to have you along!
[…] to get around the country (eg: Wanderweg around the Pfäffikersee; Balade Des Fontaines, Aigle; Château de Chillon; Schaffhausen and Neuhausen am Rheinfall; Gruyères; The Salt Mines of Bex; Leysin; Lucerne; […]